Crash and Burn: Raid Dungeon (ch. 3) (Patreon)

Help Defenders: 166

Help Raiders: 14

Help Yourself: 10

Wait: 31

Pick off Waifu: 13

Write In: 3

This one fought me a little bit until I realized that I was trying to do too much at once. I'm still getting used to the differences between writing a regular story and a quest because they are surprisingly different. So, bear with me and if you have any feedback, I would appreciate it.

...

"They're about to be attacked. We need to help," I informed Azula, not phrasing it as a question. I started to move, following the seven -- really six -- figures that flew through the sky in the glare of the orbital beam. I felt heat on my face at this distance. I had no idea how the people that were almost right next to it handled it. I was used to working with my team -- all of them hand-picked by me. They were veterans. Most of our kind lasted two months in active combat at the long end, but each member of my team had at least a year or more of experience.

Because of it, working with them felt as if I was moving parts of my own body.

So, when Azula didn't move, it caused me genuine confusion. "Why?" She questioned my order, narrowing her eyes at the orbital beam. She couldn't see them with her eyes, but she did at least believe that they were there. "Let them weaken each other and we shall defeat the victor. Or take what we wish from the defeated."

My jaw clenched, mostly out of annoyance that she wasn't falling in line. She wasn't one of my soldiers -- I had to remind myself of that. But I grew up with soldiers and not much else. "Gratitude. Rallying to the defender's side will make them feel a debt of gratitude. Possibly enough to offer information and shelter," I told her my reasoning. It was practical. As someone who has had his ass pulled out of the fire more times than I cared to count, I could attest to the fact that nothing inspired a thankful attitude quite like a helping hand when you were one foot in the grave.

Azula thought on it before offering a curt nod, "Acceptable. Follow my lead," Azula ordered, and before I could so much as say another word, Azula summoned blue flames at her fists and used them to propel herself down the side of the cliff we were on. Swallowing my annoyance, I shouldered my charge rifle and broke into a dead sprint, my feet finding secure holds so my gait wasn't broken as I headed towards the colony. My eyes followed the raiders, who were making a slow bank, heading for the ground just outside of the hive-like colony.

The defenders were completely unaware, I saw. And any thought that they could -- perhaps -- be friendly died a dog's death when the dark haired girl broke into a dead sprint towards a guard tower in front of the main entrance. With a leap and a hop, she was over the edge.

I made a snap decision, taking aim with my charge rifle, I fired a shot at the bystanders, alerting them and there were sounds of panic. I fired off a few more shots from my slight vantage, repeatedly hitting the ledge. Despite my dead sprint, the distance, and the wind variables, my shots hit a tight circle that was impossible to mistake as anything but as intentional. The blonde dressed in blue noticed what was happening, jumping out of her seat to march to the ledge. She overlooked the colony -- she was at the top and the tribals dug into the cliff more than they built on it.

Because of that, she could see the gates swinging open. More than that, she could see as the raven-haired woman clenched her hands into a fist before displaced dust began to swirl. The circle came alive, the dust catching on fire while the inside became a black void for a quick second, only for a man to come running through, armed with a spear. He was swiftly joined by others.

A portal. Not ideal. Worse, she was experienced. It was a rookie mistake to open up portals within enemy encampments -- they could have traps that diverted all portals to a pocket dimension filled with blenders. Saw someone go that way. Wasn’t pretty. What it did mean was that the entire situation radically changed because this wasn’t just a raid -- it was a borderline invasion as the rest of the women started to lead the charge. The defenders were rallying, realizing that they were under attack, but they had already lost their greatest advantage.

Azula blasted herself towards the top of the colony, landing lightly before flipping over the edge. I had no chance of making that jump, and by the time I took the long way around, the fight would be over. Taking in a quick breath, a hand went to a pocket to secure a vial of Go-Juice. With well-practiced ease, I popped off the cap and jabbed the vial into one of my carotid arteries. And the moment the Go-Juice entered my veins…

It made me whole. It was like eating a full meal after being hungry, or quenching your thirst when you were thirsty. It was the feeling of a need being satisfied, but so much greater because I could feel my body reaching its full potential. A potential that could only be reached with Go-Juice flowing in my veins. And as if to prove it, my speed picked up, closing the distance between me and the jump and with a heave, I leaped. It was a good hundred feet -- some of that, I could have managed because of the elevation. But, I would have plummeted down at the halfway point.

Instead, I sailed through the air and landed on the colony ledge with some feet to spare, my knees barely feeling the impact as I rolled to my feet, lessening my landing. When I reached my feet, I found a naked blade pointed in my direction.

“State your intentions,” the blonde woman barked, a deadly edge in her voice. Military. Good.

“Friendly. I saw that you were about to be attacked, and gave you warning when I didn’t need to,” I stated. That being said, I couldn’t blame her guard being up when my charge rifle was leveled at her head.

Her eyes narrowed, “A warning that comes too late is no warning at all. You and that girl could be with the raiders to attack our rear,” she refuted. I didn’t see the rest of the women that she had been with, nor the ruling class that had been with them. In the distance and echoing through the tunnels, I heard shouts of war. A familiar sound.

The point explained why she decided to stay behind and I very much doubt that Azula bothered to explain. “Ineffective. It relies on the assumption that you would trust me. It would have been better to kill you and the man you were with before the raid, disrupting the chain of command,” I told her outright. She held my gaze for a brief moment, considering my words, before she nodded, lowering her blade. I responded in kind and lowered my rifle.

“Olivia Armstrong,” Olivia introduced herself, turning around and marching to a tunnel that was elaborately decorated. The people had taken to carving at the obsidian and painting it in various colors. The markings seemed religious in nature.

“Atlas,” I responded in kind. “And the girl that arrived before me is Azula.”

“Your warning is appreciated, Atlas. I will see your efforts rewarded. However, I must ask more of you -- will you fight with us?” She questioned, leading me through the tunnels and I saw that they were elaborate. It almost reminded me of a megaspider hive, in a way. The tunnels were elaborate but structured. There were doorways, hallways, stairs, and even handrails -- all of which were illuminated by stones that were embedded in the obsidian in a pattern. I don’t know what the stones were, but they offered a generous amount of light.

“For information, supplies, and temporary shelter,” I negotiated.

“I can offer the first two, but not the latter. The Sunlite people are led by Chieftain Solus. But I do expect that he will be willing to offer temporary lodging if we were to ask,” Olivia stated, her voice even as she marched with purpose as we arrived at why I didn’t see anyone in the hallways as we walked. They were at a choke point. It was a small cavern where the obsidian had been shaped and then reinforced. I saw guns -- the same primitive ones that the people who woke us used, but most wielded spears with the occasional axe.

Sun themed. More interestingly, she used we, which implied that she was part of a separate group. One that had the favor of Chief Solus.

“And a word of warning,” Oliva added before I could give an answer, glancing over her shoulder at me. “Tell Azula that it would be in her best interest to not use her fire abilities.”

Would they have religious significance? Did the people worship fire? Hm… how would they respond to someone that could bend it? Praise and adoration? Or would they see it as heresy? I wasn’t too keen on finding out, but I very much doubted that I would have much of a say in the matter because, as much as I hated to admit it, I had little control over Azula.

I nodded, “Thanks for the warning. I’ll fight with you.”

“Good. Now keep up,” Oliva instructed, leaping over the barricades that were erected and breaking out into a dead sprint toward the chokepoint. I kept pace with her, holding back on my real speed only because I didn’t know the layout. The sounds of combat echoed through the tunnel as well as the screams of the dying. The most worrying was the stench of burnt hair and cooked meat. Despite it all…

It felt like I was coming home.

Rounding the corner, my gun was up and I saw that it was pure chaos in a large open hallway. There were a few dozen separate fights happening all at once, the differences between ally and enemy nearly impossible to identify with a quick glance. However, as I scanned them for hostiles, something stood out to me. There was an easily defendable choke point behind us. Assuming that there was one at the entrance… the forces behind us should be moving up. Advancing. Or the people here should be fleeing to the choke point for safety.

"Death to the tyrants!" One of the raiders screamed at the top of his lungs, his pupils dilated. Blood streamed from a number of wounds, but he still charged at me. Battle drugs. Hopefully Go-Juice. Gauge earrings and blue warpaint. Identifiable enough. "Death to the overlords! Our cham-" he shouted before his head snapped back, a charge blast hitting him dead in the forehead. With the hostiles now tagged, my head worked on a swivel, advancing into the hallway and pulling the trigger with every clear shot.

Intermixed with the screaming were shouts. Screams, really. Death to the tyrants. No more tribute. Let the sun go dark. So on and so on. The raiders were hopped up to the gills on battle drugs because some of them still lunged at the enemy as their guts spilled out at their feet, and still, let loose a war cry. The moment I started to fire, those screams started to die out. The raiders didn't seem more advanced than the defenders, making them tribals, and charge rifles could get through cataphract armor with enough shots. Body shots would just slow them down, so as I pushed through the hallway, each time I pulled the trigger, a body dropped.

"Get to safety! This is an order!" Olivia shouted, wielding a bloodied sword as I lined up a shot at a raider that abandoned the fight, choosing to pick someone up and started to flee down the halls. Not a comrade. One of the defenders. Hostage?

"B-but where can we go?" One of the defenders asked, and now I looked at him. Elongated fingers. Thin. His gaze was firmly directed to the ground as he trembled where he stood. There were some changes in the past five thousand years, but even if they physically changed, I recognized that attitude.

Purslaves.

As much as I was genetically engineered to be the perfect combatant, purslaves were genetically engineered to be the perfect slaves. Easily terrified and submissive -- they weren't just the perfect slaves because they couldn't rebel. They were perfect for slavery because they would never want to. A purslave would rather chew off their own tongue before they accepted emancipation or being separated from their master. If the master died and they didn't have one? They would waste away just as I would without Go-Juice.

Olivia's jaw clenched. "Approach the checkpoint and state you are allowed passage by the Holders of Sacred Flame," Olivia instructed. Interesting. I hadn't seen enough to draw any solid conclusions, but from the sounds of it, everything below the top rung of the colony was left to fend for itself. The choke point was meant to protect the upper class. Not everyone else. And from the sound of it, even during a raid, they wouldn't be allowed access.

"We can't! We haven't received permission!" The purslave cried out, sounding so affronted that he dared to make eye contact. You'd think she asked him to eat his own kid instead of asking to tell a white lie. I spared a glance at the others that were huddled up for safety, all of them panicked and checking up on those that had fainted after surviving the violence. Not all of them were purslaves, I saw. But I did see enough commonalities to assume that all of them had been crossbreed with the xenotype.

"Huddle near the entrance of the choke point. We'll send one of the Sacred Flame Holders to grant you passage. If we don't come in time, use your bodies to delay the enemy," I instructed the purslaves. Instantly, I saw the man brighten, the edge of his terror taken off. It was an empty order because I intended to kill the majority of the raiders that I came across. However, feeling like they were being useful to their owners would make them happy and that should keep them from panicking. "Move. Now."

"At once!" The purslave agreed, gathering the others and ushering them forward to obey the order.

Olivia gave me a harsh and calculating look but simply inclined her head to me.

However, I needed information. I was under the assumption that the tribals would be combatants. And, I suppose, in a way, they were. Only they weren't fighting to save their own lives. They were fighting to save the lives of their masters. "Who are the fire holders and how many combatants can we expect on our side?" I questioned, keeping pace with Olivia easily. As we ran, we saw more signs of combat but we heard more of it reaching us through the tunnels. There weren't that many bodies, I noticed as we rounded the corner.

The raiders were stealing the purslaves. Among other things. It seemed this wasn't a straight coup d'etat  on these so called 'overlords.' Smart, I suppose. In my day, a purslave's metabolism was so efficient that a single bite of a MRE would supply all the nutrition that they needed. Any more than that, and they'd start bulking up in muscle for physical labor. And they'd only need one full meal a day for it. I even heard rumors about some that could photosynthesize to the same effect.

In a preindustrial era, a time of hard labor, that was invaluable.

"The civilains will delay as much as they can, and there are just over three thousand of them, but only five hundred could be considered soldiers. Counting us, there are nine of any real skill.. Sypha should be just ahead -- we had a plan should we face an attack because the Chieftain and his council won't help anyone down here," Olivia admitted, not answering my first question.. "The fact they managed to get past her tells me that the others aren't in position. Or they're in no position to stop them."

"You were expecting this attack?" I asked Olivia, who didn't answer, but her silence was answer enough. That was a yes. "Sounds like the chief has it coming," that remark got me a sharp look. I was putting the pieces together and her reactions told me a lot.

Chief Solus and this colony have a number of tributaries. The tributaries, for whatever reason, were unhappy to pay and were attacking. I'm guessing for abuses of power or disregard for those below them. Olivia and her group were independent from chief Solus and his ruling class, but they were either unable or unwilling to leave him because of these so-called Sacred Flame Holders. If I had to bet, I'd say unwilling to leave because they were prepared to protect the working class.

And that look she gave me told me that Chieftain Solus' days were numbered.

The question of what a Sacred Flame Holder was turned out to be answered as we sprinted down a hallway that had seen almost no fighting. A blast of flame belched out from around a bend, warming our faces. However, a second later, it was returned with a familiar blue glow.

Damn it Azula.

I tried to hold out some hope, but I wasn’t exactly shocked when I saw what was happening. The woman from earlier -- Sypha, Her expression was twisted into a scowl as she curled her fingers, making a sign before a small flicker of flame emerge between her fingertips a split second before her form was washed over by blue fire. However, Azula’s flames were pushed to the side, washing over obsidian walls that were covered in ice, and even before the flames faded, I knew Sypha was unharmed.

Me, not so much.

Olivia reacted instantly, and it was only my own instincts that saved my life. I lunged with a hand, grabbing the blade before she could swing it. I felt the steel bite into bone, parting my flesh when Olivia tried to yank the blade back, sawing into the palm of my hand. There was no pain. Just the feeling of warm blood slipping between my fingers and pressure. “Azula! Stand down!” I shouted, looking at Olivia, whose eyes narrowed into slits.

“She’s the Avatar! Atlas! Help me kill her!” Azula snarled in response, and the sheer hate in her words caught me by surprise. She mentioned the 'Avatar' during our travels here, and while I got the impression she wasn’t exactly fond of him, the sheer vitriol in her voice, spitting out the title like it was a curse -- that caught me flat-footed. “Die!” Azula screamed at the top of her lungs, the smell of ozone filling the air, the only warning before lightning cackled at her hands.

I thought she was a firebender?

Steam from the melting ice shifted, lashing out like a whip catching the tip of the lighting as it was launched to her, guiding it to the wall and it took a chunk out of it. The scream that ripped itself out of Azula’s throat sounded absolutely mad, and in comparison, Sypha merely frowned. “I am not this so-called Avatar. I am a Speaker and a scholar of magic. Cease these attacks if you are not with the enemy,” Sypha spoke in a distinctly accented voice, calm despite the situation.

Gritting my teeth, I pointedly let go of Olivia’s sword, my fingers stopped bleeding almost as soon as I did. Azula snarled at Sypha, fire springing from her hands. It singed my flesh when I reached through it to yank her back, disrupting her concentration. Azula looked at me with hate and murderous intent. I could see it in her eyes and how her lips peeled back in a snarl. “Enough!” I snapped at her, tightening my grip on her wrist. “She’s not a bald monk kid like you told me. She’s not the Avatar. Get ahold of yourself. Now,” I growled the word out, my nostrils flaring with irritation.

Azula tried to rip her arm free, but found my grip was like steel. “It’s been five thousand years! Aang is dead! She’s his reincarnation! I didn’t get to kill him, but killing her should count!” Azula spat out at me, her thrashing growing more violent until I thought she just might rip her arm out of her socket. Reincarnation? She left that part out of the story. The story I heard was that the Avatar was someone that could bend all four elements and he had been a rebel against her empire -- one that she had expected to easily crush.

“Azula -- she’s a magic user. That’s it. She has no idea what you’re talking about because she’s not the Avatar. Get that through your fucking head. And even if she wasn’t a mage, there a thousand and one things to explain why she’s bending the elements -- psionics, technology, biological abilities, enchanted equipment, and so on and so on. So take a breath, get your shit together so we can focus on the enemy, or I will knock you out.” I gave her fair warning. It was as gentle as I could be.

If she was one of my men, I’d have shot her by now. A soldier losing their mind wasn’t just a danger to themselves, but one to everyone around them. The only reason why I hadn’t was that she wasn’t one of my soldiers. It didn’t feel right to expect that same standard from her. But if she was going to push then I’d follow through and when she woke up, we’d go our separate ways.

What I didn’t expect was for Azula to go still at my threat, her eyes narrowing into slits, as if she were trying to see if I’d actually do it. Then, almost like someone had taken a rag to her face, the hateful snarl and murderous glare were wiped away. Gone, like smoke in the wind. It was more disturbing than I cared to admit.

“Very well,” Azula said, her tone decidedly frosty. I hesitated to let her arm go, but she did calm down. Her gaze flickered to Sypha, and for a second, I thought she was going to lunge for her. Instead, she simply scoffed and looked away, making an annoyed look pass over Sypha’s face.

“You attacked me! I should be the one annoyed!” Sypha protested, her gaze flickering to me and I saw how they lingered. I paid it no mind. “Then we are allies in this fight?” She questioned, her gaze going to Olivia, who offered a curt nod. Like I thought -- Olivia was in control of her group. She wasn’t the most powerful at a glance, not unless Olivia had been hiding her true ability, but based on what I had seen so far, Sypha was the far more powerful of the two.

“For now,” Olivia added. “The situation? Have any gotten past you?" She questioned, easily taking charge as her attention flickered to the charred bodies. I saw it too -- there weren’t many. Either she hadn't seen that much fighting, outside of Azula, or some were slipping but her.

Sypha seemed surprised by the question based on how her brow drew together, "I have not. The position you gave me was subverted -- they know of the back channels. I believe they have allies here," Sypha stated, sounding like she genuinely wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was becoming increasingly clear that there wasn't any love lost between Olivia's group and this colony. Or, rather, with the leaders of this colony. Which raised the question of how they ended up here.

"How would that happen?" I asked, fishing for information.

"The Solus Empire collects tribute from a number of small kingdoms, and at times, that tribute can be people," Sypha answered, her lips thinning. "Perhaps one of the chosen reached out to their home. They must have given the layout because they know it too well."  Good to know. The Solus Empire was proving to be interesting, I decided. They had enough strength to exert influence over smaller colonies, a large working class of purslaves that was working as a meat shield at the moment, and their tech advancement was primitive, but also creative.

Calling it an empire was an exaggeration, though. You needed at least a hundred thousand habitable planets before you could make that claim, and even then, you were barely more than a jumped up kingdom.

Olivia opened her mouth, but she cut herself off when there was a vibration that ran through us. A small tremble, but it was enough that the weakened obsidian cracked dangerously. Sypha reacted, her hands shifting into a sign before she pushed her hands up. In response, ice formed over the ceiling while pillars formed to support it. It wouldn't hold up if there was a cave in, but it did prevent any stones from getting knocked loose.

"Explosives?" Olivia growled the word, echoing my own thoughts.

"No -- that was physical force," Azula stated, her tone confident. She sounded as she usually did -- calm and collected. "Has the rebellion been this bold before?" She questioned, striding forward. As if she were taking command.

"Not that I know of," Sypha admitted, watching Azula much like one would watch a coiled Mega-Snake. "However… one of them said something -- that their champions will defeat us." Sypha added. The seven that I saw leading the attack? The vanguard?

Another vibration traveled through us. "These champions will need to be repelled. Sypha -- at the checkpoint, the civilians are gathered. Get them through to safety. With force, if you need to," Olivia said as we reached an intersection. Naturally light poured through a door that was left open, revealing a hint of the city that was built into the side of the cliff. It wasn't a glitterworld, but I couldn't deny that what the Solus colony had built was impressive in its own way. Everything was on an incline, but there were buildings two or three stories high, connected by steps and archways. "Atlas, Azula -- if you are determined to help us, then I need you to link up with the others so we can make a coordinated counterattack."

I nodded, accepting that I would fight. Azula narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, but nodded as well. Olivia hid it well, but I saw that that provided her with a measure of relief. "Outside should be Yor and Ino. Down at the main entrance to the interior is Momo and Yang. They're occupying checkpoints, but if there are this many inside, something has happened. Go wherever you think is best. I'll deal with their teleporter."

With that, Olivia broke off and with a lingering look, Sypha raced to get the purslaves to safety.

Leaving us with a choice to make.

…

[]Go to Yang and Momo

[] Go to Yor and Ino

[] Split up

[]Write in who goes to who